Philosopher and Art Historian, Vid Simoniti, has produced and presented a series of ‘Art Against the World’ podcasts related to the BEDROCK theme of Liverpool Biennial 2025.
For this special event, Vid together with Studio/Lab at FACT and other experts in the field, will share insights into the world of podcast-making. We’ll explore what is involved in the process – behind the scenes from beginning to end – and will invite attendees to share their experiences too.
‘Art Against the World’ podcast is a co-production with the University of Liverpool. This event is delivered in partnership with Studio/Lab at FACT Liverpool.
Location:
Studio/Lab, FACT
Time:
Wednesday 10 September 2025, 5 – 7pm
Access:
The event registration form invites guests to share any access requirements. Additionally, if you’d like to speak to our access lead before the event, please get in touch with access@biennial.com.
Speakers
-
Vid Simoniti
Vid Simoniti is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool. He writes on the relationship between contemporary art and politics and is the author of Artists Remake the World: A Contemporary Art Manifesto.
The Art Against The World podcast is presented by Vid Simoniti and with contributions from LB2025 curator Marie-Anne McQuay, the six episodes unpick the central idea of this year’s exhibition: Bedrock. In an often polarised and fragmented world, what remains our bedrock? What are the things that ground us? We speak to artists and thinkers to uncover different answers: from a shared family, history, or culture, to a critique of the economic and political realities that undergird our everyday experiences.
-
Jelena Sofronijevic
Jelena Sofronijevic (@empirelinespodcast) is a producer, curator, writer, and researcher, working at the intersections of cultural history, politics, and the arts. Their independent curatorial projects include Invasion Ecology (2024), SEEDLINGS: Diasporic Imaginaries (2025), and Can We Stop Killing Each Other? at the Sainsbury Centre (2025), and they produce EMPIRE LINES, a podcast which uncovers the unexpected flows of empires through art. They are also pursuing a practice-based PhD with Gray’s School of Art, curating exhibitions of Balkan and Yugoslavian/diasporic artists in British art collections.
Much of their research centres on pluralising representations of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE)/diaspora communities and cultures, particularly from the Balkans and Yugoslavia, and more constructive, contemporary histories of non-alignment. More widely, they seek to platform lived experiences and perspectives often marginalised or excluded from representation, especially in anti-colonial and environmental activism. They work to make complex ideas accessible, not simple.
-
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a composer and sound designer based in Liverpool with work spanning theatre, film, video games, and themed entertainment.
Recent podcasts he has worked on include Art Against The World with Vid Simoniti and Liverpool Biennial as well as ADHD The Musical Podcast with Dora Colquhoun and RAWD. He’s currently working as audio director at Steamroller Animation on a variety of original animated content.